Brutal Spurs stat makes it painfully clear why the offense keeps falling apart

Turns out Devin Vassell is more important than anyone realized. The Spurs were 23-9 in the 32 games he played. That's more than a 70% win percentage. Without him? They're just a measly 7-5. The sample size on both ends is large enough to draw the very real conclusion that Vassell is the offense's stabilizing force, and without him, they struggle to sustain production.

San Antonio's offense has suffered tremendously without Dev

Over the first 32 games of the season, San Antonio's offensive rating was ranked the sixth-highest in the league (118). Since he's been out, they've dropped to 20th (112.9). That's the difference between a dangerous offense and a lacking one.

It would be nice if Victor Wembanyama were already in his prime when he'd likely be able to score 35 points per game, but he's still going through growing pains on that side of the ball. That's why a balanced roster is a little more important to the Spurs than to some of the elite veteran ball clubs. Everyone plays a role in that.

When you really think about the construction of the roster, Dev is the only one who can do what he does at a high level.

Vassell's offensive flexibility is critical to the Spurs

Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper thrive when they can get downhill and attack the rim. And they can do other things, but that's their specialty. Julian Champagnie and Harrison Barnes are floor spacers who can also attack the rim. They pretty much live in that box.

Keldon Johnson, especially this season, fits into a similar mold as Barnes and Champ, but he brings more energy with a bullying mentality.

The only one who can pull up off the dribble in the midrange to make contested shots with regularity, if need be, to bail the offense out when they can't knock down a three, is Devin Vassell. His three-level scoring makes him invaluable to San Antonio's production because his style is unique to the team's construction.

Dev has a +4.5 offensive swing in the Silver and Black's on/off data. For someone who doesn't have a very high usage rate, that's a significant number. The Georgia-born pull-up artist raises the offensive floor of the Western Conference's surprise second seed to elite levels, and until they get him back, they'll continue to have up-and-down nights on that side of the floor.

You don't really have to worry about the defense. Wemby will make sure that it's elite on most nights. As the purest scorer on the team, Dev needs to be there to help the offense match it.